August 9th, 2011
Give Customers What They Want: ActivEngage Interview with Joe Webb
by Stephen Jackson | August 9th, 2011
Here at ActivEngage, the Automotive Industry’s trusted auto dealer live chat provider, we are dedicated to bringing you content that will help you succeed in today’s automotive marketplace. In this week’s ActivEngage Auto Industry Expert Interview, online marketing, e-commerce advertising, and internet initiatives expert Joe Webb shared what he considers the most important skills and processes for dealerships.
Throughout his extensive career in the Automotive Industry, having advanced through multiple departments at dealerships, Joe Webb has created and managed some of the industry’s most successful Internet Departments and Business Development Centers in the nation. In spite of the fact that Joe is hesitant to refer to anyone (especially himself) as an expert, he considers his aptitude for lead management his greatest asset. As President and Founder of DealerKnows Consulting, Joe spends his time training Internet sales at dealerships across the country.
“The problem with the Industry today is that there are far too many people training dealer Internet marketing that don’t understand what it’s like to work in a dealership. I spent a majority of my professional career working in and with dealerships and I believe there are very few Internet Professionals that manage leads as thoroughly as they deserve to be handled. Worse off, most of the “consultants” training dealers on lead management have half the clue that DealerKnows has about how to implement a quality, engaging follow-up process.”
“Another issue that I see at many dealerships is most people don’t think intuitively enough about what they’re sending to customers. Dealers need to have the mindset of ‘If I were the customer, what would I want to hear?’ I see dealers sending out the same templated lead responses over and over again, giving customers the same tired, old request to come in rather than the information the they seek. You have to give customers something new…something valuable. And Internet professionals need to stop ONLY discussing the vehicle purchase. You have to sell the appointment, not the car.”
“It basically comes down to you giving customers enough information to get them into the store. If you educate the customers too much on the vehicle and its purchase figures rather than just engaging them with value propositions about yourself and your dealership, you’ll talk yourself out of an appointment. At the same time, the questions you ask must represent the customers’ needs and not just your own.”
“It is imperative that salespeople and Internet managers understand that customers have the all of the information at their fingertips and there are no immediate reasons for them to come into your showroom unless you build value in the appointment. Additionally, there is very little that differentiates your dealership from competitors. The only thing that separates you from your competitors is your employees.”
“If you understand the lead management process, manage customers’ expectations, endear yourself to the customer and let them know that you are their advocate, you will win the appointment AND the sale. To accomplish this, more time and effort needs to be dedicated to your communications mediums. Utilize multiple mediums when replying to customers. In my opinion, one of the best (and quickest) ways to improve your communication with customers is by employing live chat services.”
“Live chat enables you to give customers the information they want (answers) early on in the sales process and engage them as if they were a phone up. If you can capture customers’ contact info early and develop a relationship with them, you will find yourself much closer to selling a car than in other way.”
Joe Webb would like to extend the offer of a free Mystery Shop by his team at DealerKnows. For more information, please send him a message.
[...] Automotive Industry expert Joe Webb explained in a recent blog post that, “live chat enables you to give customers the information they want (answers) early on in [...]